Mail-pouch catcher.



PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

L. W. BARKER.

MAIL POUCH GATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.19, 1904.

1'? w r 7 Z w 6 w- 1 Patented March 7, 1905.

LEIYIS IV. BARKER, OF CLINTON, IOIVA.

MAIL-POUCH CATCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,466, dated March '7, 1905.

Application filed November 19, 1904. Serial No. 233,505.

To (all whom it 'ntrty concern.-

Be itknown thatl, LEWIS BARKER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Pouch Catchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mail pouch catcher.

One of the primary advantages secured by my invention is safety to enginemen and postal clerks. I mount my catcher in such position that I am enabled to change the relation of the crane which cooperates with said catcher in such a way that said crane cannot possibly strike an engineman, as by the cranes as at present organized enginemen are being constantly seriously injured and killed. In accordance with my invention I so mount the catcher that I am enabled to use a crane of such a height that the arms thereof are at one side of the cab-window of an engine. In the present instance I support the catcher for swinging movement below the door-opening of a mail-car, so that I can use a crane of, say, about six feet ten inches heightinstead of one ten feet eight inches high, which is about the height of the standard crane now in use. It will be apparent that in the use of a short crane the arms thereof when in their operative position cannot possibly strike an engineman. The present forms of catchers are a constant source of danger to postal clerks, as when they are in their operative positions they are on a line substantially with the chests of the clerks who hold the catchers up with their hands. It will be apparent that should a catcher break when in such position from any cause the broken pieces will fly into the car-door and naturally strike a clerk. It is to my knowledge that a number of postal clerks have been seriously hurt and killed by the breaking of catchers. By virtue of my improvements no possible injury can result to a postal clerk should the catcher break. I have found that by mounting the pouch-catcher for swinging motion below the door-opening in the side of a mail-car I am enabled to avoid wholly the dangers pointed out.

Another object of the invention is the simple, safe, and effective means for raising and lowering my catcher and the practical way that it can be connected with a car without making any changes in the latter. This can be done at small expense, and when the catcher and its adjuncts are in place no room will be taken up inside the car.

Another feature of the invention is in the catcher itself, in that it is of suclra construction that when a pouch is caught therein it is positively retained in place and from jumping out. As will hereinafter appear, when the catcher is not in use it is entirely outside the boundaries of the door-opening; but this and other features of advantage will receive further consideration hereinafter.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification I illustrate a simple adaptation involving my invention; but I do not limit myself to the showing thus made, as material variations may be made within the scope of my claims, for I consider myself to be a pioneer.

Referring to the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car with which is combined a mail-pouch catcher including my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the parts represented in the preceding figure.

In the drawings I show a portion of a car, which may be the usual mail-car, the same being denoted by 2 and having in its side the customary opening. The catcher in the present case is mounted for swinging motion below said opening, and the particular manner illustrated for mounting the catcher will be hereinafter described. The catcher includes in its make-u p an elongated shank or rod 3, with which the catching part I is associated, the two parts being inexpensively made by casting in one piece. The catching portion 4 is approximately of V form, the branches or jaws thereof converging toward their rear and what might be considered the outer branch being longer than the other branch. The space between the branches of the catching part 4, at the inner end thereof, is widened out somewhat, as shown at 5, the widened-out space being somewhat rectangular and serving as a lodgment for a pouch, the pouch when caught in said space being held against rebounding or from jumping out by a latch, as 6, the working portion of which is arranged for swinging movement in a slot formed in said outer branch. The latch is held in itsoperative position by a bowed spring, as 7, and may be manipulated by a finger-piece, as 8, connected, if desired, integrally with the said latch in order to release the pouch. The latch 6 is situated at what might be considered the mouth of the space or aperture 5, the latch being somewhat rounded on its forward side, so that when engaged by a pouch it will be swung outward thereby to permit said pouch to enter the space or aperture. When the latch is -thrust out by the pouch, the spring 7 is of course tensioned, so that the instant the pouch passes free of the latch the spring returns the latch to its initial or operative position, whereby the inner side thereof will present an abrupt face to the pouch to hold the latter firmly and positively in place.

I have used certain terms referring to locations. These are only relative, as will be understood, for, as will hereinafter appear, the catcher is reversible, so that it will operate no matter in which direction the train of which the car forms apart is running.

Upon the outer side of the car2 are mounted in horizontal alinement similar brackets, each designated by 9, the upper edges of the brackets being in line with or slightly below the sill of the door-opening in the side of the car, said brackets constituting a convenient support for the shank or rod 3 of the catcher, although they do not directly sustain said shank. The latter is directly supported by sleeves, as 10, supported for rocking movement between the outwardly-extending arms of the two brackets 9. The sleeves have square openings through them to receive the squared portions 11, formed on the shank at longitudinally-separated points.

Upon the shank 3 is an annular shoulder 12, against which the sleeve 13, of rubber or suitable buffing material, surrounding the shank, is adapted to abut, said sleeve being adapted to strike against the adjacent bracket 9 when a mail-pouch is picked up, so as to buff the parts and prevent injury thereto. The outer edge of the rubber sleeve 13 is illustrated as being contiguous to the bracket 9 on the right. When the catcher is reversed, the sleeve will be against the other bracket. I

To reverse the catcher, the same will be bodily thrust toward the left in Fig. 2, so that what is shown as the right end of said catcher can be separated from the right sleeve, follow- 7 ing which the shank will be withdrawn from the sleeve 10 on the left. This separates the a catcher bodily from its supports, and when this is done what is shown as the left-hand end thereof will be introducedinto' the sleeve 10 on the right, after which the squared portion 11 on the right will be inserted into the sleeve 10 on the left and solidly seated in place. I therefore can readily dismount and reverse the catcher without in any wise affecting the manual operating mechanism therefor, one simple and advantageous form of which will be hereinafter described.

The body of the sleeve 10 on the right is extended into the space between the sections of the side wall of the car and is provided with a segment, as 14, rigidly associated therewith, the outer face of the segment being eccentric to the center of motion of the said sleeve. The outer or cam face of the segment 14 is grooved or channeled to receive the cable 15,

suitably rigidly connected to said segment and depending therefrom and running around the grooved and horiZontally-alined pulleys 16.

In using the term cable and certain other terms herein it should be understood that they are employed in their broad senses. For example, I need not employ a cable, so called; but I can secure the same advantages by using a chain, tape, or the like.

The pulleys 16 ordinarily have their axes slightly below the floor of the car. The cable 15 extends upward from the inner pulley and is connected at its upper end to the operating device 17, illustrated as an elongated lever, the free end of which forms a handle, while the cable is connected to the lever between its handle and fulcrum. The lever 17 between its ends works in the vertical slot 18, formed in the guide-bracket 19, the sides of the lever being contiguous to the side walls of the longitudinal slot 18 as the lever is swung up and down. The lever has three positions corresponding with the three positions of the catchernamely, a

running position, a catching or operating posicatcher cannot be possibly left in its catching or operating position. In the delivering position, however, or that assumed by the catcher for permitting the removal of the pouch therefrom and its placing in the car, I provide means for positively holding the lever, and

therefore the catcher, so that the clerk need not hold the lever, by virtue of which his hands will be left wholly free to disengage the pouch from the holder. To accomplish this result,

the slot 18 has at its upper end a lateral offset 18, into which the lever can be moved and on the bottom of which said lever can rest, so as to positively hold the catcher in its delivering position.

running position, it extends downward and stands substantially vertically near the side of l/Vhen the catcher is in its the car. Then in its catching or operative position, it is swung outward to a position substantially at right angles to the car. To deliver the mail, it is swuu g to a position practically opposite to its running position, or it stands vertically upward. By virtue of the lever, cable, and cam-segment devices hereinbefore described I am enabled to operate the catcher with ease. \Vhen the catcher is in its running position, the lever will be against the bottom of the slot 18. to its working position, or that to pick up a pouch or sack, the lever will be moved upward, thereby through the cable and segment swinging the catcher to a horizontal position. hen the catcher is in its intermediate position, it will be apparent that no means other than the hands of the operator or clerk are provided to hold it in such position. \Vhen a pouch is picked up, the lever is further elevated and moved into the offset portion 18 ot' the slot 18, as hereinbefore described, so as to hold the lever, and thereby the catcher, in its upper vertical position. To remove the sack or pouch, the latch 6 is moved outot' the path thereof by the pressing in of the latch extension or linger-piece 8. \Vhen this is done, the pouch can be easily moved from out of the space 5. Following this the catcher will be permitted to drop to its running or lower vertical position by the moving down of the hand-lever 17 until the same strikes the bottom of the slot 18.

The lever 17 is fulcrumed on the inner side of the car, and its handle end is arranged to swing across the door-opening, but to occupy a position below the sill of said opening, where it is wholly out of the way when the catcher is in its lower vertical or running position. Owing to the fact that the cable 15 passes along the cam-surface of the segment 14:, I can apply in this way a considerable power to the catcher to readily and easily lift the same to either its catching or delivering position.

It will be apparent that in that adaptation of the catcher which I have hereinbe'fore described and for convenience illustrated in the accompanying drawings the catcher is supported for swinging motion below the dooropening of a car, so that when in its catching or working position it will not be a menace to a postal clerk operating the same. By virtue of this particular mounting I can lower the arms of a crane to such an extent that they cannot possibly strike an engineman in his cab. The only time that the catcher is within the boundaries of the door-opening is when it is in its delivering position. Atother times the pouch is outside said boundaries. The shock applied to the catcher is not received by the postal clerk, owing to the fact that the lover or equivalent device employed for moving the catcher to its several positions is not directly connected with the catcher. Because of the fact that the catcher can be swung To move the catcher without the boundaries of said opening the latter is left free and unobstructed for the removal of sacks or pouches from the car and the introduction of other sacks therethrough.

In practice I pass a pin 3 through a hole or perforation in the shank 3 of the catcher to prevent the latter from jumping out by the rebound of the rubber bumper or sleeve 13.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a car having an opening in its side, and a mail-pouch catcher movably supported below the opening and arranged to move from a pouch-receiving to a pouch-delivering position.

2. The combination of a car havingan opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for swinging movement below said openin 3. The combination of a car having an opening in its side, and a mail-pouch catcher associated with the car and arranged, when in its operative or mail-pouch-catching position, outside the boundaries of said opening and movable across the same to a pouch-delivering position.

4. The combination of a car having an opening in its side, and a mail-pouch catcher involving an elongated shank and a V-shaped catching portion extending from the shank, the latter being supported for rocking motion below said opening.

5. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher associated with said car and arranged to occupy two opposite substantially vertical positions and an intermediate substantially horizontal position.

6. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher mounted for movement below said opening, and means, including a manuallyoperable device, supported independently of the catcher, for actuating said catcher.

7. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for movement below said opening, and means, including a hand-lever, supported independently of the catcher, for actuating the same.

8. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher reversibly supported for swinging movement below said openin 9. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for swinging movement below said opening and arranged to occupy running, catching and de livering positions distinct from each other,

and being located outside the boundaries of said opening when in the running and catching positions.

10. The combination ofacar having an opening, turnable bearings supported below said opening, and a catcher removably supported by said bearings.

11. The combination ot'a carhavingan open- ICC ing, turnable bearings supported below said opening, and a catcher removabl y and reversibly supported by said bearings.

12. The combination of a car having an opening, turnable bearings supported below said opening, a pouch-catcher reversibly supported by said bearings, and means connected with a bearing for actuating the catcher.

13. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for swinging movement outside the boundaries of said opening and arranged to assume distinct positions during running, catching and deliv; ering, a manually-operable member cooperative with the catcher and serving to move the catcher to its several positions and to be held while the catcher is in its catching or operative position solely by the manipulator.

14. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for swinging movement outside the boundaries of said opening and arranged to assume distinct positions during running, catching and delivering, a manually-operable member cooperative with the catcher and serving to move the catcher to its several positions and to be held while the catcher is in its catching or operative position solely by the manipulator, and to be held positively in its other positions.

15. The combination of a car having an opening, turnable bearings supported below the opening, a segment having a cam-surface and connected with one of the bearings, a cable extending along the cam-surface of the cam and connected rigidly therewith, guide-pulleys over which the cable is extended, a handlever to which the cable is connected, aguide slotted to receive the hand-lever and having an offset in its upper end, into which the hand-lever may be laterally moved, and a mailpouch catcher supported by said bearings.

16. The combination of a car having an opening, and a mail-pouch catcher supported for swinging movement below said opening and to occupy running, pouch-catching and pouchdelivering positions distinct from each other,

vshank provided with squared portions to removably fit in said openings.

18. The combination of turnable sleeves having square openings therethrough, and a pouch-catcher, including in its make-up a shank provided with squared portions to removably fit in said openings; and means for operating a sleeve to move the catcher to different positions.

19. A swinging mail-pouch catcher mounted to occupy three distinct positions, to wit, a running position, a catching position and a delivering position.

20. A swinging mail-pouch catcher mounted to occupy three distinct positions, to wit, a running position, a catching position and a delivering position,combined with means mounted independently of the said catcher, for operating the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEWIS W. BARKER.

l/Vitnesses:

JOHN JACKSON, .A. W. NIoHoLs. 

